The culinary celebrity has TV shows, six restaurants and books. He will be at Wegmans in Allentown Wednesday to sign his new cookbook.

Bobby Flay didn't just earn the title "Iron Chef" because he stars in the Food Network show "Iron Chef America." He has to be an iron man to endure the pace he sets.

Flay, a celebrity chef in the same league as Chef Emeril Lagasse, says "sleeping is overrated" when he talks about his work day that begins at 6:30 a.m. and ends at 11:30 p.m. "Every day is busy and exciting. I don't think of it as work. It's a new adventure."

Right now, he's traveling the country to promote his 11th cookbook, "Bobby Flay's Bar Americain," and will stop at Wegmans in Allentown 4-7 p.m. Sept. 28. Often, he'll make two appearances a day. When he's not on the road to promote his books or filming cooking shows, he is developing new recipes and working in the kitchens of his restaurants.

Flay even checks his Facebook page two or three times a day and makes the time to respond to select questions and comments from the 115,000 fans who like it.

Although he is probably challenged to a "throwdown" as often as Emeril is asked to say "Bam!" Flay doesn't tire of it. "It tells me people are talking about food. They're passionate about what they do and what I do. That's an accomplishment I'm proud of."

Flay, who turns 47 in December, says in a telephone interview that he prefers to think of himself as in his "mid-40s," rather than as "approaching 50." He adds, "I'm happy with what I've done so far. I feel as if I've had some influence on how people look at food and cook it and that makes me feel good."

Despite his success, he's not about to cut back and become a mere garnish in the food world. "There are tons of things on my bucket list, even though I'm not sure what they are yet. They'll come to me. I'm driven by my passion for food … a new cuisine or something I discover that I want to play out in a bigger way."

Currently, Flay exercises his enthusiasm for new food finds and techniques in the kitchens of his six fine-dining restaurants, including Mesa Grill (in New York City, Las Vegas and Paradise Island, Bahamas) and Bar Americain (in New York City and Uncasville, Conn.) and Bobby Flay Steak at the Borgata in Atlantic City. He also has a chain of Bobby's Burger Palaces, including one that opened in Philly's University City in April 2010.

Flay hosts numerous Food Network shows, including the Emmy-winning "Boy Meets Grill," "Grill It! With Bobby Flay" and "Throwdown! With Bobby Flay." He also serves as a judge for "Food Network Star" and debuted "Brunch@Bobby's" on the Cooking Channel in 2010 and "America's Next Great Restaurant" on NBC this year.

When the New York City-born-and-trained chef looks at a map of the United States for inspiration, he doesn't see individual states. He sees outstanding ingredients and places of culinary genius. He sees produce and meats from Pennsylvania Dutch Country and the Garden State's harvest of vegetables and blueberries and seafood. He recognizes the culinary genius of Buffalo, N.Y., which introduced hot wings to the world.

He says Bar Americain, the restaurant that led to the cookbook, "is in the center of the universe, in midtown Manhattan and surrounded by important office buildings and beautiful hotels. Broadway shows are just down the block. It's the real New York scene. People don't go to my restaurants for a really quiet, romantic meal. It's a much more upbeat and high-energy place."

He writes in the book's intro that it's "a place to celebrate good times, good food, good drinks and the country that made it all possible. It's everything I ever wanted my dream restaurant to be — complete with all the food I love to cook and eat."

But why then, if he is so high on American food, did he cast this restaurant in the style of a French brasserie? "I love European-style dining, ambience and their ways of serving the food. But I also love the ingredients I've found as I've traveled this country," he says.

You'll find his takes on French classics with American ingredients at the restaurant and in the new cookbook. There is Vidalia Onion Soup with Blistered Vermont Cheddar and Parsley Pesto, Flay's version of classic French onion soup. There is Mussels and Fries Americain with Green Chile Broth that is his answer to moules frit of beachside cafes and Parisian brasseries, which take their flavor from steaming in a broth of white wine, herbs and garlic. Flay uses that broth but makes it his own by adding a puree of roasted poblano chilies and creamy coconut milk.

He says he has been "100 percent involved in the creation of the cookbook" because he has been in the kitchen creating those dishes since he opened the restaurant in 2005. He also wrote the "headers" for individual recipes. "I believe it's more interesting for people to learn the whole story of a dish, rather than just having me tell them how to make a recipe."

He adds, "I really want people to be able to re-create the high-energy Bar Americain experience at home by making food that's both flavorful and satisfying."